Me Like Bees
w/Song River
Things can get a
little sticky when you have a group of quick witted, stranger than
fiction, band mates forming a cooperative mission to make stinging
great music. The effervescently cheerful vocalist, Luke Sheafer, of Me Like Bees, took a few moments while out on tour to chat with me
about their sound, tour, and new EP, There Will Be Time.
Song River: Your bio
reads: “Four narcissistic friends...” is there room in the mirror
of reflection for that much awesomeness?
Luke: We just use the
mirror in shifts. It allows us to indulge fully, one at a time. I
don't think any of us are actually narcissists. If anything, we're
all crippled with insecurity, masking it only long enough to
play our shows.
SR: Where is indie
music right now?
Luke: Indie music is
an energy field created by all living things. It surrounds us, it
penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.
SR: How has it changed
and grown?
Luke: I think indie
music is kind of like pop music in that you don't exactly know how to
define it, but you know it when you hear it. It seems as though it's
becoming more fractured and encompasses, even more, kinds of sounds.
So it has grown and changed a lot as far as its definition
and scope of what music is included within the genre if you can call
it that.
SR: Can you us an example
of when behaviors became uncomfortable and were taken to the level of
hysterical quickly?
Luke: One time Nick
withheld the fact that he was going to college up until the day
before he graduated. That got hysterical in a hurry. We're all
pretty butt-hurt that he didn't tell us beforehand.
SR: "The Eye of the
Tiger?" Really? Okay, who is the 80's nerd?
Luke: All of us. The
answer is all of is.
SR: Sure overtures of
Modest Mouse and Arcade Fire are heard, but something even further
into your music found me hearing The Waterboys. Where do the bones of
your sound come from?
Luke: We all have our
backgrounds. I think where we all converge musically are bands like
Modest Mouse, Yeah Yeah Yeah's, and The White Stripes.
SR: Who always kicks who
in Street Fighter?
Luke: Everyone
knows the superior move in Street Fighter is the hard kick with the R
button. So in a literal sense, everyone is kicking everyone. In
earnest, though, the only ones who have played each other are Nick
and Tim. Tim just recently set up the TV and Wii in the van so
we haven't fully explored the food chain of who kills who
in what game yet.
SR: Where is the heart of
Joplin, Missouri?
Luke: The heart of
Joplin, MO is an energy field created by all living things. It
surrounds us, it penetrates us, it binds the galaxy together.
SR: What else besides Me
Like Bees and huge mosquitoes come from Joplin?
Luke: Never Shout
Never, Ben Miller Band, Carter Hulsey, Caleb Denison, The Too's,
Kenny Foster, J-Thrill. All of these are things that have come
out of Joplin.
SR: Do your lyrics come
from this part of America? If so, describe how you think they are
relatable to anyone anywhere at any time.
Luke: Well, I don't
feel like our lyrics stem from the Midwest experience if that's
what you're asking. I mean, this isn't Americana music. Just
like every songwriter, I think the lyrics stem from my
worldview and my experiences. Our aim isn't always to write songs
that everyone will relate to because in my opinion those songs
usually don't have any real offering. I try not to think about
how relatable certain ideas or phrases are when I'm writing songs,
and that's not to say I don't care what people think because honestly
I want people to enjoy our music. It's just not a focus for me.
SR: New EP, There
Will Be Time. A title that sounds like a song that has a
message.
Luke: Yeah, it comes
from a poem by T.S. Eliot entitle "The Love Ballad of J. Alfred
Prufrock". I kind of based the title track loosely on this poem.
It's really about a man reflecting on his life and bemoaning how
little risk he took. Sad. Very sad stuff.
SR: This is album
number three correct? With lyrics coming from a theological point,
but a persona of not taking self too seriously- are these two
opposing at times aspects of the four of you confusing to friends,
and family?
Luke: I don't think
the two are mutually exclusive. For those who know us, it makes
perfect sense. One is personality/presentation and the other is
a character.
SR: You worked with
John Feldmann on this last album, how did that come about and what
did you all learn?
Luke: We got to work
with John Feldmann as part of the prize for winning the 2014 Ernie
Ball Battle of the Bands. I learned so much in the few days we spent
with him about how to cut the excess out of a song and how to
maximize its appeal. It was truly amazing.
SR: Who is responsible
for the 'witty' lyrics and who claims the 'complex/catchy' melodies?
Luke: I write the
lyrics and come up with the melodies and Pete writes a lot of the
music. Man, we do sound narcissistic. Need to change that bio.
SR: The decisions
of first single released into videos always are interesting. Why
"Tundraland?"
Luke: It kind of went
like this:
Us: “Which one
do you think is a single?”
John Feldmann:
“Tundraland.”
Us: “Ok.”
SR: Touring can be one of
the best ways to connect with fans, make new friends, and gain a
bunch more ideas for lyrics. What are some of the little things
along the way, aside from video games, do the four of you always stop
and do when on tour?
Luke: I always
try to connect with people at every show. It is the most interesting
thing about touring, really. Every show would feel the same I
think if not for meeting new people.
SR: Who else aside from
Never Shout Never would you like to find yourselves headlining with
come 2017?
Luke: Pretty sure
WWIII is going to be here in 2017. I'll be too busy building my
bunker to tour. Jk. I'd like to tour with Cold War Kids or Manchester
Orchestra. That would be super.
SR: Me Like Bees...
stingy honey? (cue bad pun) tell us a little about the name.
Luke: We just blurted
it out one day and we googled it and found it in a verse in Psalm 118
that we really liked so we just stuck with it.
SR: Best way you like
fans to find you and connect?
Luke: Instagram,
Twitter, Facebook @melikebees